PM hints at options on Opera House site

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday gave a hint that the idea of turning the old Opera House site into a Parliament is not cast in stone.

Asked whether he was still convinced of the controversial plan, he said he was determined to see the Valletta entrance project through. But, significantly, he added: "We still have to see about the use of the building".

This stance seems to indicate that there may still be room for compromise on his decision to re-locate Parliament where the Opera House ruins now stand, a plan which he announced when the project was made public early in December.

The decision has drawn strong criticism from across the whole spectrum of Maltese society, including from influential persons such as tenor Joseph Calleja and former university rector Peter Serracino Inglott, who want the building to be used as a theatre or, in another suggestion, as a library.

The project is long overdue since the site was bombed in World War II and has remained that way ever since - lying idle except for some theatrical productions that have been put up in the open air in the bombed-out site. Twenty years ago plans for a redesign of the area by renowned Italian architect Renzo Piano were left on the drawing board after meeting with widespread disapproval.

A few months ago Dr Gonzi announced that Mr Piano has been asked back for the project, which he aims to conclude before the next election as part of a whole regeneration of Valletta.

cperegin@timesofmalta.com